5 Simple Ways to Make Mealtime Fun for Picky Cats

The furry creatures we love to bring into our homes are full of antics and quirks. A big part of their personalities is the way they interact and engage with the world around them, and that includes everything from dealing with people to enjoying their food.

As we all know, though, our furry friends – canine and feline – can be picky eaters. Whether they turn their nose up at kibble or they're exceedingly picky about whether you're giving them fish or chicken, some cats just develop firm preferences and will choose to starve over eating something they don't care for.

Why are some cats picky eaters, and what can you do to make mealtime more fun (and more effective) if your cat refuses to eat?

Why Are Some Cats Picky Eaters?

Some cats are voracious carnivores willing to eat pretty much anything put in front of them, and a lot of things that aren't. Other cats seem to turn their noses up at anything except that one special brand of wet food that's getting harder and harder to find.

Why, though? With children, picky eating comes from bad experiences with unexpected foods or from fear of the unknown. Cats don't necessarily have the same kinds of formative experiences, though, so what makes some cats picky eaters?

As it turns out, there's no one cause, which is also bad news because it means there's no easy solution to the problem. Instead, it can be a combination of reasons.

• Natural and instinctual grazing behavior. Cats are crepuscular, meaning they're normally most active around dawn and dusk. This is also when a lot of their prey – birds, rodents, and other creatures – are active. Some cats are picky not because of the food itself, but the timing of it. They might prefer to have several smaller meals throughout the day, so when they just take a few bites of what you put out for them, it seems like they're being picky.

• Childhood preferences. When kittens are weaned off their mother's milk, they'll transition to solid foods. If a kitten is fed the same foods all the time, though, they'll have a very strong association with those foods as food. Critically, any food that is too different might not count as food in their tiny, fuzzy brains. This can be reinforced if the mother cat is also picky; she'll teach her kittens which foods are food and which ones to ignore, even if she's wrong.

• Stressful eating situations. Cats are uniquely vulnerable when they eat, so many cats are wary of competition from other cats or being set upon by predators while they're eating. In the wild, cats often take their prey home to eat. In the home, when food is a mishmash in a bowl, they can't do that. If their food bowl is in a heavily-trafficked area or in an unpleasant location, like near the litter box, it will be unpleasant for them to eat.

• Bad experiences with certain foods. If your cat eats something that causes them immediate distress, whether it's an allergic reaction, digestive upset, or even pain, they can develop a negative association with that food. Even if the food itself is fine and the issue was unrelated, the association is there, and they'll avoid that food in the future.

To a certain extent, a food aversion can be trained out of a cat. You can also work around the aversion in a few ways. It might also just not be a problem. On the other hand, if the food your cat is averse to is the new special kidney diet food they have to eat to stay healthy, well, suddenly it's a lot more of a problem.

Is Picky Eating a Cause for Concern?

Sometimes!

There are basically two reasons why picky eating can be a cause for concern, and I've already mentioned one of them: if you need to shift your cat to a new vet-advised medical diet, and they're having none of it. A picky eater turning their nose up at the food needed to keep them healthy is an awful situation to be in. Fortunately, you can usually address the issue with some of the tips I'll provide below.

The second situation where picky eating can be a problem is if it's sudden, picky eating. If your cat used to happily chow down on nearly anything you gave them, but now they're turning their nose up at most foods, it might be a medical issue.

One of the biggest causes is a dental problem. If you've ever had a toothache or a broken tooth, you know it's hugely unpleasant and painful. Well, the same goes for cats. If you notice your cat doesn't have much trouble with wet food but ignores dry food, a dental problem could be the cause.

Other medical issues can also lead to picky eating, though it's more frequently a general loss of appetite that shows up. Joint pain can make it painful to crouch to eat or get up to find food. Cats with respiratory infections might not smell that they have food available, and won't think to eat. Cats with kidney disease or other problems might have nausea that makes eating difficult.

If your cat didn't use to be a picky eater, but they are now, it might be worth scheduling a vet appointment for them soon to get them checked out.

Five Ways to Make Meals Fun for Picky Cats

If your cat is a picky eater, and you've already ruled out medical problems, you probably want to try to sort it out. The less picky your cat is, the less you have to worry about their diet being properly balanced; you can keep more foods on rotation and ensure they're getting all the nutrients they need. And, of course, if their favorite food is discontinued or changed, you don't need to struggle to find a replacement that your cat will actually eat.

I've put together five ways you can try to make meals more fun and engaging for your cat, to help them forget about their aversion to certain foods, and instead, simply enjoy them.

1: Build a Sampler Platter

This one takes some time and will require some setup, but if it works, you'll be able to explore your cat's preferences and figure out what they like the most.

Start by buying a bunch of different kinds of food, both wet and dry. A bunch of small bowls can also help, but a large, flat board where a dollop of wet food or a pile of dry food can sit is also fine.

Lay out your samples of various foods (labeling them so you know which is which later), and then bring your cat in for mealtime. They'll be delighted at the selection, and will sniff around and explore different options. The ones they go for and enjoy the most should be noted down, and the ones they don't like can be set aside. You might find that your cat is less picky than you thought; they just don't like something about one particular manufacturer or brand.

2: Work on Positive Reinforcement for Meals

While it might feel a little cringey, praising your cat for eating their food can actually be a good source of positive reinforcement. Give them a food they don't really like, and encourage them to eat it. When they do, praise them, pet them, give them compliments, and give them extra attention.

The tricky part of this one is that you need to time it right. You don't want to disrupt their eating, but if you wait too long, they won't associate eating with praise. You also don't get to use food as a reward like you might with other positive reinforcement, and you should reconsider immediate playtime to avoid digestive upset. Still, some praise, pets, and cuddle time can be good enough.

3: Make Mealtime an Event

Another potential option is to make mealtime a specific event for you and your cat, rather than a chore you fulfill at some point throughout the day. Cats aren't necessarily used to the ready and constant availability of food, and it can throw off their sense of need or desire for it. This kind of disordered eating can be difficult to address.

Instead, don't leave food out for them throughout the day. Instead, set a routine and bring out food for them for a specific, short period of time each day. Supervise them if necessary. You don't need to take food away from them if they aren't done eating, but if they wander off with some food still there, don't just leave it.

You can also combine this with learning what your cat likes. Do they prefer multiple smaller meals throughout the day, or a couple of larger ones like you might have yourself? You can even make your own food and eat with them, for even more companionship.

4: Make Use of a Puzzle Feeder

There are a million different designs of puzzle feeders, but they all essentially have the same goal: to slow down eating and make meals a more mentally engaging event. The more your cat has to wiggle, bat, play, or figure out how to access their food, the more fun they'll have with it.

The food itself becomes their reward, too, and they might not even notice it's the same stuff you normally just put in front of them in a bowl.

5: Make a Game of It All

Fifth on our list is turning mealtimes into something of a scavenger hunt. Cats are, after all, naturally hunters.

While you aren't going to set a few rodents loose in your house and let them hunt, you can hide partial meals throughout the house and let your cat hunt them down. It won't be hard; their sense of smell is plenty keen enough, and it might give you insight into what areas they prefer to avoid.

More Tips for Feeding Picky Cats

While making meals fun for your cat can help with picky eating, there are also a bunch of ways you can try to address the problem without fun being involved. In fact, some of the options I discuss above might backfire, especially if your cat doesn't want to be disturbed while eating.

Consider these additional tips:

• Be less consistent with foods. When you rotate through a handful of different foods each week, your cat can't get as used to the same routine and won't be as hesitant when that routine changes.

• Make use of food toppers. A dab of yogurt, a bit of high-value lunchmeat, some warm water to spruce up the dry kibble; a lot of things can make food more enticing to cats without hurting their diet.

• Heat their food. Cats go after live prey, so cold food feels unnatural to them. Cold food also doesn't have as strong of an aroma. When you heat up their food, they'll smell it better and be more engaged in eating it.

• Use the right food bowl. Some cats have problems eating because their bowl is too narrow and deep, which irritates their whiskers while they eat. Get a broader, shallower bowl for them to solve that problem.

You might also want to avoid buying dry food in bulk. While you might not notice the difference, dry food does go stale, and stale food is less pleasant to eat.

You can also just let your cat skip the occasional meal. As long as they get enough food when they need it, it's not going to be dangerous to skip an occasional meal here and there, as long as they're the ones guiding it. It's bad to cut them off, but it's not serious enough to force them to eat if they're otherwise healthy.

What about you? Have you ever had to deal with a picky eater in feline form? If so, what did you do to address the problem, and how did you get it to work? I'd love to hear your ideas.